Papuan Tribes

Papuan people are reputed to be ferocious cannibals but, during a 3-month long caving expedition I was treated with kindness and generosity. In 2005, the NGS supported Untamed Rivers of New Britain Expedition explored new caves in the Nakanai Mountains of east New Britain. The area is sparsely populated with various tribal groups including the Kol. These people originated in New Ireland to the north of New Britain and steadily migrated southwards. Although they are a fairly warlike people, this is a function of territorial protection. They tend to keep to themselves and don't travel very far. Any animosity is directed towards tribes from other areas who they may see as a threat. We had direct experience of this when the cook we had employed from a village 6-hours walk away ran away and returned home during the night. However, as far as the expedition members were concerned, they were wonderful simple people who always helped us with a smile and readily shared what little they had with us. One of the expedition objectives was to preserve this unique environment by protecting the jungle from logging, a battle which is being lost all around the world.